"You're not a bad person, Yoosung-ah," Kim Dokja told her seriously. "You're just a kid."
She stayed silent for a moment, but Kim Dokja squeezed her a little tighter.
"Hey, it'll be okay."
"Okay, ahjussi." Her voice sounded fragile, like she was on the verge of shattering. Lee Gilyoung reached out and grabbed onto her hand tightly, but he looked away—as though it would make her feel less embarrassed by it.
God, this was going to be awful, wasn't it?
[constellations who like children are concerned about the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"Isn't that why you said we'd sleep here tonight?" Sooyoung asks, causing Dokja to grit his teeth. Seeing his expression, she smirks and asks if he's about to be a hypocrite again just because she's a child.
Sooyoung advances towards the girl, stating that she's ready to be the villain if Dokja is insistent on being the good guy. Sangah gets in front of her, holding up a hand as she tells her to wait. With a terrifying expression, Sooyoung demands that Sangah move, asking if Sangah will kill the girl instead. Sangah, clearly confused, asks why killing a regular girl would even be brought up.
Looking at the girl trembling in fear on the ground, Sooyoung reiterates Sangah's description before demanding that Dokja explain before she loses her temper and just kills them both. Dokja closes his eyes with a pained expression on his face as he grits his teeth. "In five days… she will end up destroying Seoul. She is… the final disaster of the fifth scenario."
"Dokja-ssi, what's going on?" Yoo Sangah asked anxiously, glancing between him and Han Sooyoung. Kim Dokja clenched his jaw slightly and stared at the floor over the kids' heads.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping to see a fight.]
As soon as Han Sooyoung mentioned killing her, Shin Yoosung let out a broken sob and Kim Dokja felt like his heart was shattering. Lee Seolhwa gasped, Lee Hyunsung looked devastated, and Jung Heewon turned on Han Sooyoung instantly.
"What the fuck, Han Sooyoung?" she hissed. "Why the fuck would you have to kill a little kid!?"
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment disapprove of the intentions of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"You're not killing her!" Yoo Mia exclaimed, far louder than she intended to. Though her ears reddened, she puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated pout and glared viciously at Han Sooyoung.
"Seriously, you're all jumping on me without even knowing the whole truth," Han Sooyoung grumbled, looking far less affected by all this than she rightfully should.
Yoo Sangah frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Sooyoung-ssi, please explain."
Han Sooyoung raised a brow and gestured over to Kim Dokja with a tilt of her head. "If I know myself—and I do—I'll get that guy to explain it for me in a moment."
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at Kim Dokja with an unreadable expression as his future self revealed that Shin Yoosung was the final disaster of the fifth scenario.
[many constellations are baffled by the revelation of the identity of the disaster.]
Lee Jihye stared at the screen in complete and utter shock. "What…? But how…?"
It was all too complicated to explain right now, especially because Shin Yoosung was absolutely distraught.
"You lied, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung said between her sobs, pushing slightly at his chest. "I really am a bad person."
Lee Gilyoung gripped her hand tightly, but stared up at Kim Dokja in distress, not knowing what he should do or what he could trust. It hurt, seeing the kids like that, and Kim Dokja knew that he had to try.
"You're not a bad person," Kim Dokja told her seriously, looking right into her tear-filled eyes. "I know this won't make sense yet, but even though the disaster is you, you are not the disaster."
Shin Yoosung broke down worse, giving up on trying to push him away to slump into his chest in an attempt to seek as much comfort as she could. Though she was probably getting tears and snot all over the front of the robe, Kim Dokja couldn't find it in himself to care. Honestly, Samyeongdang probably wouldn't either, considering the indirect message that popped up in front of Kim Dokja only a moment later.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is looking sadly at the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"Kim Dokja is telling the truth," Yoo Joonghyuk said seriously, and Kim Dokja found himself relaxing when the protagonist chimed in.
Everyone would listen to him, and they respected him to a degree, so that would be enough to keep them all from descending into chaos in the meantime. Even though they were all still confused and worried, the fact that he had confirmed that their Shin Yoosung wasn't a bad person was enough to ease the tension somewhat.
The girl looks wide-eyed, confused as to why she's been saddled with this description, as Sangah looks surprised and horrified at the same time.
That night, the girl did not die.
A scene of both Sangah and Dokja standing in front of the girl defensively as Sooyoung holds up a sword is shown on the screen.
Sangah didn't want us to kill her, and I agreed.
Sooyoung kicks a can across the street as she angrily tells them to do as they want while she walks away. Inside the building, Dokja helps to lay the sleeping girl's head on a rolled blanket that Sangah has set up to act as a pillow.
The last disaster, the 'Disaster of Floods' of the fifth scenario, was the most dangerous and the most tragic of them all.
"Thank fuck she didn't," Jung Heewon hissed as soon as they were all reassured that Shin Yoosung was still alive.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is relieved that the incarnations made the right decision.]
Technically, the 'right decision' in this situation wasn't clear. By saving her, Kim Dokja was being selfish—he was prioritizing the life of a child over the survival of as many people as possible. By killing her, Kim Dokja would save more lives, but he knew that he would be betraying himself in the process.
Lee Hyunsung looked utterly lost, shooting sympathetic glances over at the sobbing girl. This wasn't a situation he was used to handling, after all, and not even his eternal optimism was prepared for discussions about murdering a child in cold blood. There were very few ways to lighten the mood after something like that.
"The Disaster of Floods…" Yoo Sangah muttered with a frown, trying to avoid looking at Shin Yoosung as she did. "Does that… disaster… have water powers of some kind?"
"I don't," Shin Yoosung whispered, shaking her head and smearing her tears all over the front of the robe again. She trembled and shook, and it was all Kim Dokja could do to hold her tighter.
[several constellations are confused by the name of the 'disaster of floods'.]
After Dokja explains that she's the disaster, Sangah asks if she is similar to the 'Disaster of Questions'. The screen pans over the girl who lies peacefully asleep on the ground, covered by a blanket. A label explains that she was put to sleep using acupuncture. Looking back at Sangah, Dokja explains that it's not quite the same.
"But no matter how closely I look, she doesn't seem like a disaster at all. Is it really possible for her to be a disaster in five days?" Sangah asks, brushing her hand gently through the sleeping girl's hair.
[Name: Shin Yoosung
Age: 11
Constellation Sponsor: None (Two constellations are currently showing interest)
Personal Attributes: Beast Tamer (Rare), Remorseful Murderer (Ordinary)
Exclusive Skills: Taming lvl. 5, Interspecies Communication lvl. 7, Agile Feet lvl. 6, Interspecies Friendship lvl. 4
Stigma: None
Overall Stats: Stamina lvl. 12, Strength lvl. 12, Agility lvl. 16, Mana lvl. 24
Overall Evaluation: This child's capabilities for mana use are developing well, but her overall potential is low. Despite having excellent talents and a rare attribute, her soft-hearted nature has led to the constellations' lack of interest.]
Sangah states that Yoosung didn't hatch from a meteorite, confused since all the others have. Dokja agrees with her, stating that Yoosung is human and will remain human even in five days, only confusing Sangah more. Dokja states that it's not Yoosung herself who will become the disaster, but rather her 'future'.
And that was a disaster even Yoo Joonghyuk could not avoid.
"At least she can sleep peacefully," Lee Seolhwa whispered sympathetically, and Kim Dokja had to agree. While he couldn't do much else to help the Shin Yoosung in the room with them, at the very least, her future self didn't have to listen to this.
"Yoosung-ah," Kim Dokja said softly, "I promise that I'll do what I can to protect you."
She looked up at him with teary eyes, nodding once, but her voice didn't have its usual cheeriness when she said, "Okay."
Lee Gilyoung's eyes widened and he looked over at her. "You have taming skills too!?"
She flinched at the reminder, but she nodded. "I do, but I… I can't use them."
"Why not?" Yoo Mia asked, maybe a bit too bluntly. Shin Yoosung looked down, worrying her lip between her teeth.
"It doesn't work."
"Pfft, so what?" Lee Gilyoung exclaimed, grinning. "I'll teach you!"
It wouldn't be as simple as Lee Gilyoung thought, but Kim Dokja was so incredibly proud of him for it regardless. Shin Yoosung stared at the other kid for a moment, shocked enough that she couldn't form words, but she nodded as tears began streaming down her cheeks again.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is pulling his hair out in anticipation.]
"You're right, Sangah-ssi," Kim Dokja said seriously, "the disaster will hatch from a meteorite, just like the others."
When she looked confused, thankfully the version of Kim Dokja on the screen explained that the disaster was actually a future Shin Yoosung. Of course, that didn't seem to clarify all that much for them either.
[many constellations are confused by how the future incarnation 'shin yoosung' could be the 'disaster of floods'.]
Well, it made sense that everyone—including the constellations—would be confused. At the very least, Kim Dokja figured that he'd explain it soon enough.
The scene goes dark before it lights up to show Joonghyuk clutching a gaping wound in his chest. Blood drips out of his mouth and he clutches his sword with the other hand, using it to brace himself and stop himself from falling.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked down at the gaping hole where his heart had been. It was a wound impossible to recover from without using the [Resuscitation] skill.
Joonghyuk looks up and asks why Yoosung changed her mind. A woman with a fur jacket and shirt, long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and white markings on her face stares down at Joonghyuk blankly as she declares that she hasn't changed. She states that she's not a regressor like he is, and that she is the same as the disaster from his previous regression.
When Joonghyuk asks her why again, she confirms that this is his third regression and that she likely gave him a chance during his second. Her voice turns angry and accusatory as she tells him that he failed again, even when she had given him so much information. As she speaks, her light brown eyes widen and her hands clench into fists to the point of drawing blood.
Behind her, a tide of beasts stand poised, ready to advance at her word. "This world can't be changed. Captain, you and everything else remain unchanging. That's why I gave it some thought—perhaps this world must end after all."
Yoo Mia froze and gasped before screaming, "Oppa!"
Fuck. Kim Dokja hadn't expected them to show this scene at all, and his gaze immediately jumped over to the protagonist's face. Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes shook and he looked absolutely shocked, not remembering this scene from either of his last two regressions. Of course he wouldn't—it was from the original third round.
"Oh god," Lee Seolhwa breathed in horror, looking pale.
"Master…?" Lee Jihye whispered, staring at the screen with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "What happened…?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is distraught by the condition of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking away.]
Yoo Joonghyuk was completely frozen in disbelief, and Kim Dokja knew why. The Disaster of Floods had only helped him in his second round, and he could never have expected this to happen in the third. Shin Yoosung trembled worse than before, gasping in her breaths, and Kim Dokja quickly set to exaggerating his breathing for her to match it. Though she struggled, she eventually managed to synchronize her breathing with Kim Dokja's.
It wasn't much, but it was what he could do for now.
"The same disaster…?" Yoo Joonghyuk muttered, still looking confused and shocked. It was a hard pill to swallow, but Kim Dokja understood why the Disaster of Floods was so angry, considering everything she had been through to try and help him succeed.
"Joonghyuk-ssi, what does she mean by that?" Lee Hyunsung asked, completely confused. Yoo Joonghyuk glanced back over at him, frowning.
"In my last regression, the Disaster of Floods was friendly, and gave me information that allowed me to make it to the 46th scenario. I thought that she would be the same this time."
Kim Dokja tried not to flinch, knowing exactly what had happened to Yoo Joonghyuk in that one. It didn't matter whether she had given him information past that point, considering what had happened with Anna Croft.
Jung Heewon seemed conflicted, not sure what would be the right stance to take. Kim Dokja honestly believed that there wasn't one. Not in a situation like this—no matter which choice was made, someone would end up hurt in the end.
[some constellations pity the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
As she finishes, the scene dissolves into a phone screen, describing that which was just shown. Sooyoung's voice cuts in suddenly, asking Dokja what he's doing and causing the man in question to flinch violently as he plasters an innocent smile on his face.
With his heart beating rapidly, he hurriedly puts his phone away as Sooyoung ignores his suspicious behavior to remind him of how this disaster nearly killed Joonghyuk. Dokja retorts that he didn't die, and Sooyoung tells him that's not the point as she reminds him that they won't stand a chance if they fight the disaster head-on. As she says this, she glances over to where Yoosung is eating with Sangah.
"If the Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon hadn't killed that disaster in time…" Sooyoung starts before letting Dokja fill in the rest.
…and the Delusional Demon is no longer in this regression turn.
"So that was just the novel," Jung Heewon sighed in relief, but she didn't look very reassured.
Kim Dokja looked down at the ground, knowing that the coming fight would be extremely challenging, but this only made him more certain that he had to change the narrative.
"Joonghyuk-ah, I won't let that happen this time," Kim Dokja said firmly, "and I won't let Yoosung-ah get hurt either. I promise."
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened slightly, and Kim Dokja forced himself to look into them, filled with so much misfortune and grief. For a moment, it was as though nothing else existed, until the protagonist nodded subtly to acknowledge his words.
Kim Dokja's heart rate sped up, and he forced himself to look away. God, that was nerve-wracking.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is wishing for the success of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yoo Mia only relaxed ever-so-slightly at the revelation that her brother hadn't died there in the 3rd round, but she clung to him nevertheless.
"Oppa, be more careful," she whispered tearfully, and her brother held her close in response.
Han Sooyoung cursed under her breath. "Ah shit, that's right. The Delusional Demon was the one who eventually killed her."
Fuck, Kim Dokja had forgotten that too. It would be okay—someone else would just have to step in there in his stead.
Sooyoung grumbles about her opinion on killing Yoosung to destroy her future self, relating it to the baby Tha█os fiasco, and guessing that she's not the only one with this opinion. Dokja grimaces when several constellations pop up with their opinions, realizing that their conversation hadn't been filtered, since the censorship would have started to be removed by now.
Sangah walks up to them, saying that she doesn't think that solution is right. She points out how the future hasn't happened yet, and asks if they could prevent Yoosung from becoming a disaster if they take care of her and raise her well. Dokja shakes his head as he explains that it's an event far in the future that they can't control.
Yoo Joonghyuk actually made several similar attempts. He tried to find Shin Yoosung in advance and soothe her to avert the disaster, but it was no use.
Dokja walks over and kneels down beside her, asking if the food is tasty, and Yoosung hesitantly says that it is. As Dokja observes her, he notes that her death wouldn't change any important elements for the ending he wants—in other words, he could kill her with no long-term effect on his plans.
Shin Yoosung took a deep breath and glanced up nervously, her gaze darting around to look at everyone before it finally landed on Lee Seolhwa. Kim Dokja wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he had a bad feeling about it.
"Will it really solve everything if I die?" she asked quietly, and Kim Dokja felt his heart stop.
Shin Yoosung couldn't die. If she did, then… then what was the purpose of Yoo Joonghyuk's struggles for so long?
"No," Kim Dokja said firmly, "it won't. Don't you dare even suggest that again."
She wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her sweater, staring defiantly despite her fear. "Ahjussi, Seolhwa-unnie said the same thing earlier. I don't want to be dangerous to everyone."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is deeply saddened by the words of the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
Fuck, what could he say to convince her otherwise? Kim Dokja didn't know—he barely knew how to keep himself alive, let alone a child who believed that her death would be necessary. He had to think of something…
Then, before he could come up with a solution, Lee Gilyoung scowled viciously at her. "So you're saying that you're okay if I have hyung all to myself forever?"
There was no way that would work, right?
Shin Yoosung froze, glaring at him. "Of course not!"
"Then you can't die!" Lee Gilyoung declared. "If you do, I won't have any competition for being hyung's favourite."
She gripped tighter onto the robe, glaring even more fiercely. "I'm ahjussi's favourite!"
"No, I am!"
"Piss off, bug boy!"
"Nuh uh! Hyung will be all mine!"
Seriously? Kim Dokja stared down at the bickering kids with bewilderment, unsure about how the fuck that worked, but he wasn't going to say anything. He didn't want her to sink back into her depressed state, after all.
"Come on now," Lee Jihye piped up, shooting a wink at Kim Dokja, "everyone knows that Master is ahjussi's favourite."
… Jihye, that isn't helping.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' says that the incarnations 'shin yoosung' and 'lee gilyoung' can tie for second.]
Uriel, now is not the time for bullshit! Still, all he could do was sigh and shake his head—there was no point in responding to that nonsense.
Both kids instantly turned their animosity onto Yoo Joonghyuk who, as expected, looked completely unfazed.
Yoo Sangah looked somewhat amused by their muttering as they appeared to be plotting ways to take out Yoo Joonghyuk and claim the first place spot, but she also seemed bothered by the knowledge that raising the girl well wouldn't change anything.
Images of beasts roaming freely appear on the screen as Dokja narrates once more.
If anything, not killing Shin Yoosung now… would mean the tiniest mistake would lead to Seoul's end.
Yoosung asks if Dokja can see the future, sounding downtrodden as she continues to ask if she'll become a bad person. Dokja doesn't hide anything, telling her that she may become the worst person in Seoul.
"That doesn't surprise me…" the girl says, her voice and body shaking. When Dokja asks why, her answer is simple: "Because I'm already a bad person."
「I killed him.」
Yoosung from the First Scenario hides under a staircase as people walk around the dead wielding weapons. She hugs a puppy in her arms before slowly holding it out in front of her, looking at it in utter despair. What she has to do dawns on her as she lets silent tears cascade down her cheeks, and her lips try and fail to form an apology towards the beloved creature.
「I'm sorry.」
Yoosung steals a jacket from someone who is either dead or dying.
「I'm sorry.」
Yoosung runs towards a 'Green Zone' as she leaves a screaming and crying woman lying on the ground behind her.
「I'm sorry.」
Yoosung steals food from a sleeping man's bags, running away with fear and desperation.
「I'm sorry.」
With each repetition of the words, her voice gets more and more distraught. On screen, Yoosung seems to run in slow motion as the background warps in a reflection of her mental state.
「I'm going to be punished. I don't deserve to live.」
"You can't beat oppa," Yoo Mia said in an obvious attempt to rile the girl up, "at least not yet. So you gotta get older and stronger to even stand a chance at scratching him."
"I will!" Shin Yoosung declared, and Kim Dokja exhaled in relief. "Even if I'm the worst person in Seoul, I don't care! I can't die until I can beat him!"
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at her impassively, and she glared back defiantly. Somehow, Kim Dokja got the feeling that he had wordlessly accepted the girl's challenge. Was he actually taking this seriously? Kim Dokja couldn't imagine the protagonist having a rivalry with an eleven-year-old, that was just too ridiculous.
Actually—considering Lee Gilyoung's equally fierce expression—make that two eleven-year-olds.
"Then train hard," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly. "Train until you can't stand anymore, then get up and keep training."
She nodded with way too much determination, and looked like she was almost impatient to jump right into it. Suddenly, Kim Dokja's thoughts screeched to a halt. Wait—was he about to lose Shin Yoosung to the protagonist!?
He had to shake away the thought; it wasn't important right now. For now, it was still hard seeing her future self look so absolutely gutted and lifeless like that, especially while they were forced to watch everything she had done to survive.
[many constellations are pitying the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
Jung Heewon looked over at her and smiled. "You're alive, and that's what matters. Remember what Dokja-ssi said earlier about living as a hypocrite, okay?"
Shin Yoosung nodded with determination blazing in her eyes, so very different from the broken and hopeless girl they were seeing on the screen.
Dokja simply looks at the girl who seems to have accepted her apparent villainy. Her eyes are concerningly blank as she seems to have shut herself off completely.
For the young Shin Yoosung to have survived in this world, I know a lot must have happened. In a world like this, those are things anyone would do, but it's not easy for everyone to justify it to themselves.
With a breath, she looks up at Dokja. "Y-you… you can kill me now. I'm prepared to die."
Dokja looks at her, his wide eyes meeting her blank ones. Sangah brings her hands to her mouth, preventing any exclamations of horror from being released as Sooyoung watches impassively.
If I was the protagonist of this story, I would have killed Shin Yoosung without hesitation. But as Dokja the reader, I act how a reader would.
"Don't worry," Dokja says, patting the girl on the head, "your death has no place in the ending I wish for."
He smiles faintly as she looks up at him with wide eyes, now filled with awe and childish innocence.
"A lot happened," Shin Yoosung agreed, taking a deep breath, "but I have to keep living, so the… So the sooty bastard doesn't take ahjussi away forever!"
And now she was calling Yoo Joonghyuk by that ridiculous nickname too?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Still, it warmed Kim Dokja's heart to see her so determined to live, even if it had been through not-so subtle manipulation. Though hearing her other self claim that she was ready to die absolutely shattered something inside Kim Dokja, he had to remind himself that this would never happen anymore.
Shin Yoosung wouldn't have to be the same as him all those years ago, feeling so overwhelmed that he wanted everything to just go away. Back then, his eyes had looked like that all the time—blank and lifeless and incapable of seeing the future that lay ahead of him.
No child should act as though their life is already over.
Shin Yoosung beamed as soon as Kim Dokja confirmed that he didn't want her to die, throwing herself back against his chest in a hug. After a moment, she released him just enough to drag Lee Gilyoung in as well. The boy looked as shocked as Kim Dokja did, but he laughed brightly and squeezed his arms around Kim Dokja too.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is hoping to see the ideal epilogue imagined by the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yeah, he was hoping for the same thing, and he would do whatever was necessary to get there.
If this child was killed, Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions would lose their meaning.
A scene appears of Joonghyuk lying in a sea of bloody cogs turning over and over as his expression looks sorrowful and exhausted. He's trapped, lost among their rhythmic sounds of clanking and dripping.
Joonghyuk is fighting to change the past, so wouldn't his fight be meaningless if he ends up killing someone just because of an 'inevitable future'?
As Yoosung sputters out words about how she has to die, Dokja smiles softly yet widely, telling her that she can help to avert the disaster. As she asks questions about what she can do to help, bringing up the fact that she has no sponsor, Sangah looks incredibly touched while Sooyoung sighs into a facepalm.
Dokja, unknowingly ready to dad it up, buys a 'Growth Package' for Yoosung, startling her. More windows pop up around her as Dokja spoils her with packages from the Dokkaebi Bag. When she looks at him, slightly concerned, he reveals his capitalist nature as a rich man.
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him in shock for a moment, completely caught off guard by Kim Dokja's conviction. Though it was a bit embarrassing, Kim Dokja admitted internally that it was all true.
"It's okay, Master, ahjussi is going to help you this time," Lee Jihye cheered with a bright grin.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is nodding through her tears.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking fondly at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Wait, ahjussi, why is it important that I don't have a sponsor?" Shin Yoosung asked curiously, then gasped excitedly as soon as Kim Dokja bought her several packages.
Lee Gilyoung's jaw dropped, and then he began muttering and griping that he already had a sponsor. Kim Dokja felt sort of bad, but he also couldn't exactly give the kid anything without his sponsor's permission. Maybe he could do that someday so the kids wouldn't start fighting again…?
"Oh my god, this is what you choose to do?" Han Sooyoung sighed, shaking her head. "I should have expected that."
[many constellations are shocked by the actions of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
For Yoo Joonghyuk's sake, I won't let this child die.
Behind the wide-eyed girl, is the silhouette of the disaster she will become—the Beast Lord, Shin Yoosung.
Later, this child will grow up to become one of the 100 strongest people in the world.
Yoosung stands up, still clutching the corner of the blanket in one hand, and asks who Dokja is. He simply gives her his name, and proceeds to tell her that in five days, she will become stronger than any of them.
This child, who might become a disaster one day, shall be my very first 'incarnation' in this regression.
Jung Heewon stared at Kim Dokja blankly for a second, and Han Sooyoung joined her. What? Did he say something weird?
"Dokja-ssi… you truly are dedicated, aren't you?" Yoo Sangah laughed, and Kim Dokja frowned in confusion.
Han Sooyoung groaned. "We already knew that—there's no way he would have finished the whole trashy novel if he wasn't."
"So what? Ahjussi thinks I'm going to be the strongest!" Shin Yoosung boasted, shooting a victorious grin at Lee Gilyoung, who just rolled his eyes.
"Oh yeah? Say that again once I've taught you how to use taming!"
Ah… was there a way to stop them from arguing?
As soon as Kim Dokja declared his intentions to make her his first incarnation, Shin Yoosung's eyes got even wider in shock. Before she could say anything though, Kim Dokja braced himself for a barrage of messages. Shit, they wouldn't be able to figure out his intentions from that alone, would they?
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is choking on his wine.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering if he misheard.]
[many constellations are baffled by the declaration of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is smiling cryptically.]